There, I Said It Again

I said it before and I said it again. Or at least that was the report I got back.ⁱ My wife read some of my old blogsⁱⁱ and informed me that I was repeating myself. And she was right.

If at all possible, as a rule, you'd be better off not doing so. “Don't repeat yourself. It's not only repetitive, it's redundant, and people have heard it before.”ⁱⁱⁱ Yes, that's what I said: “Don't repeat yourself. It's not only repetitive, it's redundant, and people have heard it before.”ⁱⁱⁱ

But I'll say it again anyway. It's all I can offer to answer the questions, “Why do I write a blog?” and “Why do they seem repetitious?”

The answer to the first question is difficult,^iv but the answer to the second question is easy: “Because they are.”

A little flip, perhaps, but let me explain. I write about the things that interest me, and they don't cease to interest me just because I've written about them. They don't magically disappear as issues, but there may be new facts or situations that bear on them and I may have new ideas about them, whether or not, as new information emerges.

But that's only part of the story. Another important aspect of the repetition is that I don't look back on what I've written before. I make notes and gather information on the subject, formulating an essay based on that material, but usually not including all of it. And I don't always erase the material I've used. I simply transfer it to an ever-enlarging file of ideas that may be usable in the future. So when the future comes I look for whatever I have on the subject and, regrettably, some of it has already been used. I don't remember what I included before, and I don't recall the name of the previous piece in which it appeared. Since I'm too lazy to read through all the old blogs, for all practical purposes it doesn't exist. And, since I have doubts about how many people, if any, actually read what I write, I don't worry much about it.

Another reason why I'm prone to draw a blank when it comes to old works, is that they're really future works. I write these long in advance – this one, for example, will go on line in about a month. And that makes it even more difficult to remember when and where the ideas previously appeared. By the time they actually appear it's longer since the previous discussion of the subject than it might seem. But anyone trying to read through them in an expeditious manner may read several months worth in a single sitting^v so that material I pondered over a long period gets microscoped back into what is viewed as a single piece, and thoughts that may have been developed long before get merged and compared as if they were part of the same essay. That's the bad news. The good news, however, is that someone actually looked at them.

The real question, though, is why I do it in the first place, and that's a little harder to explain. I know that I mentioned in the past that I use this activity as a method for clarifying my thoughts to myself.^vi It's often the case that I'm uncertain about the answer to a particular and question – not a fact question but one more subjective – and I use the computer keypad to outline the considerations on all sides. I don't always wind up with the revealed truth, but when I'm done I usually have a better understanding of the question. I've had the opportunity to question and poke holes in my own arguments without revealing their weaknesses to others. (I'm my own Devil's Advocate.^vii)

It's the others, by the way, who often raise the issues that trouble me. I recognize quickly that either they're wrong or I am, or maybe we both are (you're wrong too). Working through the intricacies, however, is a slow process for me. I wouldn't be very good in a debate. I'm slow in responding in speech, and debates are, too often, focused on winning, not clarifying an issue.^viii So I do better at writing than speaking. Writing provides me with the opportunity to consider my words carefully and be sure that the response, or the statement, is exactly what I want to say. I may need second or subsequent drafts to get things exactly the way I want them, because I find it better to choose and refine my words carefully^ix to say precisely what I want to say.

And I want to say things. Even if no one reads them.^x After all, I know everything. I may have to spend time working it out, but the result is true. I know everything (I said that, didn't I?).

Speaking of working things out, however, brings me back to the initial issue: repetition. I've been too defensive. Everyone repeats himself: politicians, clergymen, mothers,^xi newspaper editors^xii and columnists,^xiii musicians,^xiv and everyone else. Especially educators. Repetition is one of the best tools they have for getting people to remember the lesson you're teaching.^xv

Finally let me repeat what it says in Ecclesiastes: “There's nothing new under the sun.” There are only a limited number of topics worth discussing, and it's likely that previously discussed material will be reevaluated. So even if my views have to be iterated,^xvi they merit your acceptance. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times …

Next episode: “The Trouble With Ernie” – And you thought no one was listening.

I         For that matter, I'm not sure I'm not repeating a previous blog. I'd have to read through all those published already and I don't have the patience for that. If you find this repetitious, skip it. If you know of an earlier blog in which I used this material, please let me know.

ii         She's one of the few people who's ever read them.

iii        Lemony Snicket

iv       I have some ideas which I'll get into below, but I'm not a psychiatrist.

v        That's what my wife did.

vi        I wrote that somewhere.

vii       Some consider me the Devil incarnate, but I'm not.

viii     Debates (and arguments) too often lead to “gotchas” rather than more meaningful responses.

ix       Although some oppose it, I favor use of a thesaurus. I'm not proud.

x         Although I'd prefer it if they do.

xi        How many times do I have to tell you the same thing?

xii       Frequently their subject involves the heinous position of the party that opposes the one they favor. The issue is less important than the message that their opponents are evil. And they repeat that same message day after day.

xiii     For the most part their message reflects the editor's view. That's why they were hired and have kept their jobs. As with the editors, the denigration of their targets is more important than the substance of the putative subject of the piece. Actually, it is the subject.

xiv      People like Mozart, Haydn, and Bach (and those are only examples of a much larger group) recycled (repeated) some of their own musical themes, and many have not hesitated to write variations on the works of others, or music based on songs or other sounds that they heard elsewhere. But I won't explore the question of plagiarism any further.

xv       As Goebbels said (in German), “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Of course teachers tell the truth, but its repetition also is important for putting it on the “hard drives” of their students.

xvi   Look it up. It probably doesn't mean what you think. Try http://www.thefreedictionary.com/iterated.